Turkey seeks Saudi court order in Khashoggi murder case

As the case of the 2018 murder in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi continues, a Turkish court on Nov. 23 sought the Saudi verdict about the fugitive defendants, if any.

During the hearing at the High Criminal Court no: 11 in Istanbul, the panel of judges decided to ask Saudi authorities if there is any investigation or trial about the fugitives in the Khashoggi case and for a copy of the final verdict to prevent multiple penalty.

The process will be carried via the Foreign Relations Department of the Turkish Justice Ministry.

The court, in line with the prosecutor's demand, ordered the execution of the arrest warrants and red notices for the defendants to be put on hold, and the replies to the rogatory letter regarding their extradition to be awaited.

It also ruled that a response to the letter sent to the Interpol department of the Turkish police regarding the supply of the defendants' criminal records and identity registrar copies to be waited for acquiring.

The 26 defendants of the case were not present at the hearing, while Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz, her lawyer Ali Ceylan, and an officer from Germany's Consulate General in Istanbul attended it.

Both Ceylan and the defendants' lawyers asked the court to correct the deficiencies in the case file.

 Khashoggi murder case

Khashoggi, 59, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered by a group of Saudi operatives shortly after he entered the country's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.

Riyadh offered conflicting narratives to explain his disappearance before acknowledging he was murdered in the diplomatic building in a "rogue operation".

On Sept. 27, 2020, Turkish prosecutors filed a...